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NEWS:
Kevin Zeese claims "Hawkish Israeli Lobby Wants War with Iran"
by William Hughes
"So likewise 'a passionate attachment' of one nation for another
produces a variety of evils..." -George Washington's "Farewell
Address," September 19, 1796

As Americans die daily in the Neocon-inspired Iraqi War, and others
ingest the toxic depleted uranium dust, feelings against a militant
Israel, and against the powerful Israel Lobby, can be expected to
escalate.Washington, D.C.-Kevin Zeese was the first speaker at a
public forum held on Monday evening, April 24, at the West End
Neighborhood Library near the community of Georgetown. The topic for
the event was, "Is the Israel Lobby Promoting War on Iran?"
Zeese said the question of whether the hawkish, hard-right, pro-Israeli=
Lobby in America wants to see war with Iran "gets answered in an ad
which was in the New York Times, the Financial Times, and other
newspapers. It's a full page ad by the American Jewish Committee, put
out on April 4th. The center of the bull's eye is Iran and the
headline is: 'Can Anyone Within Range of Iran's Missiles Feel
Safe?' I think that's a pretty inflammatory ad. It's signed by
more than a hundred people...I think it's a pretty strong indication
of where the Lobby stands. That isn't the only proof we have that the
hawkish Israeli Lobby wants to go to war."
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Zeese is the director of DemocracyRising.US, an organization working to=
end the Iraqi War and the Occupation. He was Ralph Nader's press
secretary in 2004. Presently, Zeese is an independent candidate for the=
U.S. Senate in Maryland, seeking to bring together, in a voting bloc,
the combined electoral efforts of the Green, Populist and Libertarian
Parties.
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The DC Anti-War Network (DAWN) presented the evening program. David
Kirshbaum and Carol Moore of DAWN acted as co-moderators for the event.=
Other speakers were Simin Royanian and Alex Patico. Patico is a U.S.
coordinator of the multi-country "Campaign Against Sanctions and
Military Intervention in Iran." Royanian is an economist and the
cofounder of "Women for Peace and Justice in Iran."
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Royanian, in her remarks, pointed to U.S. "militarism and
imperialism" as being the root of the problem of injustice around the
world and in the Middle East as well, and as posing the main threat to
Iran today. She asserted that the Israeli Lobby is "brainwashing"
the American people. She also claimed that Iran is not making "any
nuclear weapons." Patico saw the U.S. government itself as the main
issue with respect to Iran. He said it has "exacerbated the
situation." He asked: "Why did it [the U.S.] put the nuclear option
on the table?"
The announced focus of the event was "the new Harvard Study on the
negative influence of the Israel Lobby and what activists can do about
it." The report, authored by Professors John J. Mearsheimer and
Stephen M. Walt, generated hostile reactions from Israeli sympathizers
like writers Alan Dershowitz and David Gergen and the Washington Post.
Essentially, the document revealed what most objective observers of the=
Middle East already knew: The "Israeli Lobby," which includes the
Neocons, has exercised "unmatched power" over U.S. policies to the
extent that its role is harmful and not in the national interest. In
fact, pundit Charley Reese accused the "Lobby" of "beating the drums
for war with Iran." Recently, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh
revealed that the Bush administration was planning a nuclear strike
against Iran. (7) Zeese told the audience, "Another important,
hard-line group is the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
[JINSA]. They have been advocating 'regime change' in a number of
Arab counties: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and with the
Palestinian Authority for years. JINSA's board of advisors has
included many Bush administration leaders: ***** Cheney, John Bolton,
Richard Perle, James Woolsey and Douglas Feith... [JINSA] put a report
out on April 12th, called, 'Iran, Iran, Iran and Iran.' Iran, the
document said is the 'whole list of national security priorities.'
Yes, they want to see 'regime change' in Iran. They want to see an
attack on Iran."
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One U.S. Senator who supports a U.S. air strike against Iran's
nuclear facilities is Joseph Lieberman (D-CT). He told the Jerusalem
Post that he would, if necessary, advocate such a measure to "deter
the development of their nuclear program." What Lieberman did not say
is that Israel is thought to have as many as 400 nuclear weapons.
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As Americans die daily in the Neocon-inspired Iraqi War, and others
ingest the toxic depleted uranium dust, feelings against a militant
Israel, and against the powerful Israel Lobby, can be expected to
escalate.
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Kevin Zeese with Israeli Lobby's ad on Iran.
Photo by William HughesZeese underscored the importance of the Harvard
Study and how it can open up a discussion on matters that have long
been a "taboo topic among elected U.S. politicians." He praised its
two authors and spotlighted for the audience some of the significant
items and findings contained in the report, including one of the
authors' conclusions that Iran is Israel's next target for "regime
change." He called for a change to what he termed "the lopsided
U.S. policy in favor of Israel." He pointed out that aid to Israel
over the last 58 years has far outstripped aid to other nations. "Aid
to Israel is greater than all of U.S. aid to sub-Saharan Africa, the
Caribbean and Latin America combined," he pointed out.
Zeese asserted that "our democracy is threatened by the stifling of
debate." He said now is the time to confront the "special
relationship" between Israel and the United States. "It is evident that=
the current approach has not benefited Israel, the Palestinians, the
Middle East on the United States," he said, concluding by urging
those who are opposed to any war against Iran "to get organized."
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=A9 William Hughes 2006. Hughes, a Baltimore attorney, is the author of=
Saying 'No' to the War Party (Iuniverse, Inc.). He can be reached
at: liamhughes@comcast.net.
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Read more:
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Copyright =A9 2006 The Baltimore Chronicle. All rights reserved.
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Republication or redistribution of Baltimore Chronicle content is
expressly prohibited without their prior written consent.
This story was published on April 26, 2006.
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